~DERNESS~NTORYNUUNTENANCE
IN BLM OREGON/WASHINGTON (Source: Oregon State Office Internal Guidance as of July 2007) Year: 2011
Inventory Unit Number/Name: OR-025-004H/ Lunch Lake
FORM 1: DOCUMENTATION OF BLM WILDERNESS ~NTORY
FINDINGS ON RECORD:
1. Is there existing BLM wilderness inventory information on all or part of
this area?
(if more than one unit is within the area, list the
No
Yes
X
names/numbers of those units.):
a) Inventory Source: Wilderness Review; Final Intensive Inventory
Decisions, Ores:on & Wasbin&ton, November, 1980, pages 120-121.
b) Inventory Unit Name(s)INumber(s): The area that bas been currently
inventoried was part of a unit in 1977 that was numbered OR-020-02-30. It
encompassed 13,075 acres within 11 subunits. Due to a size of less than 5,000
acres, ten of the units were not" intensively inventoried and dropped from
further consideration. Subunit K contained 7,885 acres. It was intensively
inventoried and found not to possess wilderness characteristics. This unit was
not included in the 2007 citizen (ONDA) proposed area or included in the
current BLM wilderness maintenance inventory of the Palomino Area.
c) Map Name(s)INumber(s): BLM Intensive Wilderness Inventory; Oregon;
August, 1979.
d) BLM District(s)/Field Office(s): Bums District, Oregon; Three Rivers Field
Office
2. BLM Inventory Findings on Record:
Unit#/
Name
See 1. b
Size
(historic
acres)
13,075
Natural
Condition?
YIN
N/A
Outstanding Outstanding Supplemental
Solitude?
Primitive & Values?
Unconfined YIN
YIN
Recreation?
YIN
N/A
N/A
N/A
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FORM 2- DOCUMENTATION OF CURRENT WILDERNESS
INVENTORY CONDITIONS
C itizen Information Received: The BLM received GIS data from Oregon Natural
Desert Assoc. (ONDA) for a proposed 51,882 acre Palomino WSA in September, 2007.
More information including a narrative report, maps, photographs and route logs was
received in May, 2008. The information was submitted in accordance with Draft BLM
Manual 6300-1 Wilderness Inventory (2011).
Their report was based mainly on the belief that the area was not accessible to the public,
because it was surrounded on three sides by private land, no trespassing signs and locked
gates were encountered and none of the interior routes were roads. These factors resulted
in the area possessing naturalness, outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive,
unconfined recreation. Their assessment included an analysis of all the wilderness
characteristics, which concluded that all of the characteristics were present and the area
should be designated a Wilderness Study Area.
Their report characterized the area as being primarily effected by the forces of nature and
was in natural condition as only one water hole and an old bridge were observed. The
area possessed outstanding opportunities for solitude due to the large size, shape,
vegetative and topographic screening. The diversity of the landscape, hiking,
backpacking, camping, native flora and birding all provided outstanding opportunities for
primitive and unconfined recreation. Supplemental values included lava flows, sage
grouse, wild horses and ephemeral lakes.
BLM's analysis of the area found there to be 5 sub-units within this proposed area that
met the minimum size of 5,000 acres. Each of these units was inventoried intensively for
wilderness characteristics. These units were named Lunch Lake, Batts Camp Lake,
Weaver Lake, Chain Lake and Dog Mountain. Four units were less than 5,000 acres.
BLM Inventory Report
Unit Number/Name: OR-02S-004H/ Lunch Lake
(1) Is the unit of sufficient size?
Current Unit Acres: 5,019
Yes
X
No _ __
BLM's Boundary Determination Process: Using all existing data and professional
knowledge, BLM conducted an analysis of land ownership, ROWs and routes in the
Palomino area (from Silver Creek on the west to Dog Mountain on the east). Field visits
were conducted to verify the mechanical/tool construction of the routes and their current
condition in July, 20 10. During this inventory, conditions of roads in the Lunch Lake
Unit were recorded to determine where boundaries were located. All the boundary roads
are part ofBLM's current transportation system as identified in BLM's Facility Asset
2
Management System database. GIS information was used to verify ownerships, project
locations and geographic features not observed from the routes traveled.
Current Unit Boundaries: (See BLM Unit Character Map): ONDA's photo points and the photos for each location were reviewed. ONDA's narrative indicated the routes within their Palomino proposed WSA (51,882 acres in size) are unmaintained ways and not maintained by mechanical means. Based on current field checks and the knowledge of the area, BLM identified the
Wilderness Inventory Maintenance (WIM) unit boundaries listed below. The roads have
been mechanically constructed and improved or maintained at some time in the past. The
roads are currently in useable condition for Bureau personnel, grazing permittees and
other publics using pickup trucks and SUV's, including 4-wheel drive vehicles, to access
the Wilderness Inventory Unit. These roads will be maintained in the future as needed.
Vehicle use occurs on a relatively regular basis. The grazing permittee utilizes the routes
to manage livestock operations, including releasing and gathering cattle, distributing salt
and mineral blocks and checking and maintaining range developments on an annual
basis. BLM personnel use the routes for monitoring wildlife, botanical and range values
and condition, constructing, maintaining and checking human developments and
installations, wildfire suppression, and recreation use on at least a semi-annual basis.
Most public use is associated with hunting from mid August through November when the
roads are traveled 4-5 times a week. Camping and recreation use occurs in late summer
and fall each year.
N. boundary: Private Land ONDA Photo Points: None BLM route analysis Photo Points: None E. boundary: BLM Road 7228-0-00, Private Land ONDA Photo Points: None BLM route analysis Photo Points: PB-20 S. boundary: BLM Road 7222-0-1 00 Beshell Grade Road ONDA Photo Points: None BLM route analysis Photo Points: PB-20, PB-22, PB-21 W. boundary: BLM Road 7224-0-AO, Hegawald Road ONDA Photos: None BLM route analysis Photo Points: PB-25, PB-26 Where an inventory unit is bounded by a road or other linear feature that is authorized by
an existing right-of-way, the legal right-of-way boundary rather than the feature itself
shall be deemed the wilderness inventory unit boundary.
The following BLM photo references show examples of current road conditions in the
Lunch Lake Unit.
3
PB-20 shows the bladed road going up the fence line on the eastern boundary of the unit.
PB-22 shows the high berm on the north side of the road looking west where the road has
been maintained in the last 2-3 years.
PB-25 is looking south. The berm along the right hand side of the road is not noticeable
in the photo but can be distinguished by the slight change in vegetation (low sagebrush)
on the berm.
(2) Is the unit in a natural condition?
Yes
X
No _ _ N/A: _ _
Current Condition Description: This unit is located on a plateau at the northern end of
the Great Basin. The soils are generally shallow and water drains to a series ofsix
shallow lake beds. Three small buttes less than 200 feet high form the western edge of the
unit. The vegetation is typical of shallow soils, with low sagebrush and Sandbergs
bluegrass dominating the site. The unit is in the Weaver Lake grazing allotment that
utilizes a 2-year grazing rotation.
The unit appears to be in natural condition, with human imprints substantially
unnoticeable. There are five water holes and one reservoir that are of a low profile and
not noticed by the casual observer. Most of the fence associated with the unit is found on
the perimeter. There are no other intrusions by man except the interior vehicle travel
routes. The vegetation is in natural condition with no evidence of recent fires or
disturbance. A few scattered juniper trees can be found along the northern edge of the
unit.
Even with the section of private land in the middle of the unit, there is a sense of being in
a natural setting where evidence of human activity is minimal.
The unit currently has the following developments (See Unit Character Map):
Fences: 7. 7 miles
Reservoirs: 1
Seedings: 0 acres
Boundary roads: 6.5 miles
Non-boundary roads: 7. 7 miles
Pipelines: 0 miles
Wells:O
Troughs: 0
Waterholes: 5
Brushbeat: 0 acres
(3) Does the unit have outstanding opportunities for solitude?
4
Yes _ _ __ No
X
NIA- - - -
Current Condition Description: This unit has very little topographic screening due to
an elevation difference of only 177 feet from one side of the unit to the other. This, along
with the small size and irregular shape of the unit makes it to difficult to experience
solitude when more than one group or individual is present in the area. Another factor
reducing opportunities for solitude is the sparseness ofjuniper trees or structural
vegetation to provide visual screening from others who may be in the area. Almost all of
the unit can be seen from any part of the unit. These factors make it difficult to
experience outstanding opportunities of solitude.
(4) Does the unit have outstanding opportunities for primitive and unconfmed
recreation?
No~
Yes
NIA
Current Condition Description: Activities associated with the area include hunting for
antelope and deer, sightseeing, hiking and wildlife viewing. Opportunities for primitive
and unconfined recreation are not outstanding due to the proximity of roads, trails and
lack of any unique features or resources that would draw a person to the area Big game
(deer and antelope,) numbers have diminished in the last fifteen to twenty years in this
particular area of the Oregon Department ofFish and Wildlife's Juniper hunting unit, so
wildlife viewing and hunting opportunities are less than they were 10 years ago.
(5) Does the unit have supplemental values?
Yes
X
No
N/A
Current Condition Description: Wild horses can frequently be found in the area. No
inventories for species of concern, except sage grouse have been conducted in the unit at
this time. There may be habitat for, and the presence of, the pygmy rabbit and burrowing
owl in the unit's open, sagebrush-covered areas. There are no known sage-grouse leks in
this unit.
Summary of Findings and Conclusion
Unit Name and Number: Lunch Lake OR-02S-004H
Summary Results of Analysis:
1. Does the area meet any of the size requirements?
2. Does the area appear to be natural?
_x_ Yes
_2L Yes
No
No
5
3. Does the area offer outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and
_ _ Yes _x_ No
NA
unconfined type of recreation?
4. Does the area have supplemental values?
__lL Yes
No
NA
Conclusion (Check One):
_ _
-
The area-or a portion of the area-has wilderness character.
X The area does not have wilderness character.
--""""'' ­
~~:;.;__-_.__-..u~~=.....;:;_-------=/Date
-:-;l_J_-_1_1_
Prepared by: Bill Andersen,_ _ _
Coordinating Personnel:
/( I · 2 t ·tl
Date
!Date/
/· 2'-/-20 (1
Date
Approved by:
~~uMOV\
Three Rivers Field Manager - Burns DiStri~
This form documents inform~~tion that constitutes an inventory finding on wilderness characteristics. It
does not represent aformallllnd use allocation or a final agency decision subject to administrative
remedies under eilher 43 CFR parts 4 or 1610.5-2.02
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US DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR . ._ . Adjacent Palomino Units
•
BLM Photo Points
T
RESERVOIR (1)
•
VVATERHOLE (5)
-
Paved Road
-
Non-Paved Improved Road
Bureau of Land Man.gement Burns OIStnct, Oregon Three Ravers Resource k • - - - - Primitive Road Surface
Primitive Routes (7. 7 m1les)
Boundary Roads
>E--*- FENCE (7.7 miles)
(Lunch Lake 6 .5 miles)
Bureau of Land Management
0
0.25
0.5
No11t No warranty is made by the Bureau d
Land Management as _, the acc:uracy
r.~ ..biloty Of completeness of these data f«
ondoVIdual or aggregate usa with other data
Ong1nal data was compiled from vanous
eouroes and may be updated Without noti'IC8tion
P:lbns\WSAinventoryRevlew\Palomlno
UnltCharacter_LunchLake.mxd .PDF
December 27, 2010 For Bill Andersen